Koga Kuchiki
Koga Kuchiki 'is a former Third Seat of the Sixth Squad who later revolted against the Seireitei. He is also a member of the Kuchiki Clan, having married into it. Background Physical Appearance Koga is a well-toned man with piercing green eyes, shoulder-length black hair, and a long ponytail of red hair, with bangs hanging on the right side of his face to frame it. When he was a member of the Gotei 13, he wore a standard Shinigami ''shihakusho with the addition of a long red scarf, a light-lavender obi sash, and a beaded necklace with a pendant. He also wore an intricate white headpiece called kenseikan, which symbolized his nobility, on the left side of his head to hold his ponytail in place with red tufts of hair sticking out, though he later it off cut off to relinquish his status as a Kuchiki. While originally his appearance was youthful and fit, after several hundred years sealed away, Koga's physical form has been reduced to a withered and malnourished version of his former self. While he was imprisoned, he was adorned with a mouth mask and gauntlets around his wrists. These remained on him after his jailbreak, but the mask was cut, with only the part on the bridge of his nose remained. While his scarf and necklace remain, his shihakusho is torn, leaving him bare-chested. Personality Originally, Koga is a very headstrong man, willing to rush headlong into battle at any moment in order to turn the tide. He has a habit of referring to his father-in-law, Ginrei Kuchiki, informally during battle, but is apologetic about it when Ginrei points it out. He is confident in his own power, and is confused by Ginrei reprimanding him for this, but is usually humble about his actions. Koga believes strongly in his mission of achieving peace, and is willing to lay down his life in order to see his goal realized. He frequently goes to Muramasa for counsel on his affairs. Deep down, Koga wishes for Ginrei to openly acknowledge his achievements, and is saddened and angered when he does not. Despite his pride, Koga possesses enough self-control to listen to reason, surrendering to the Onmitsukido instead of fighting back when he is framed for murder. However, his overconfidence eventually leads to Koga being betrayed by allied officers, and his resulting imprisonment and announced punishment lead Koga to believe Ginrei does not have faith in him. Koga is convinced by Muramasa that he should use his power to change the world, but asserts that he is the master and will not be controlled by his Zanpakutō spirit, marking the start of his downward spiral into madness. After being freed from prison, Koga is much more ruthless, mercilessly attacking and killing the conspirators who put him in jail. However, he still retained enough morality to give them the benefit of the doubt and believe they may have been misguided, though he was proven wrong upon finding them laughing at his imprisonment. Additionally, Koga initially regrets his violent actions because he realizes it did not change anything, and is horrified to learn he can no longer prove his innocence before a tribunal. However, Koga's conversation with Ginrei proves to be the tipping point for his sanity, and he begins to believe everyone hates him and is jealous of his power, leading to him renouncing his ties to the Kuchiki Clan by cutting off his kenseikan. Initially, Koga only kills those who attack him on a principle of kill or be killed, but eventually begins slaughtering helpless Rukongai denizens, which he justifies by claiming he is sending a message of hopelessness to Soul Society. Additionally, Koga's paranoia and hatred lead to his bond with Muramasa slowly degrading over time, which is further worsened when Koga physically abuses him over a perceived insult, leading to Koga being unable to release his Zanpakuto at all. Koga comes to enjoy despair, and claims it unleashes his true power by making him realize there are no ideals in the world. He believes power maintains all order in the world, and asserts that his evil will become good if he is the most powerful. Koga firmly believes a Zanpakuto is simply a tool for killing, and should not be treated on an equal level to its master, a belief which he follows when he attempts to kill Muramasa. Even after Muramasa frees him from his seal several hundred years later, Koga is very disrespectful, making light of the event of Ginrei's death to his grandson, Byakuya Kuchiki, and frequently referring to Byakuya as "youngster". He holds a particular grudge against the Kuchiki Clan, agreeing to fight Byakuya solely because he is the current Head of the Kuchiki Clan and claiming the clan is full of arrogance. Additionally, Koga's own confidence grows to the point where he intentionally severs his bond with Muramasa because he believes his own power is enough to handle Byakuya. He believes Zanpakuto are simply tools for which there are countless replacements. Koga is incredibly proud of his own power; he claims his illusions are more than simple illusions, and believes that he is the most powerful Shinigami to ever live, which is why he does not need a Zanpakuto. History Powers and Abilities Spiritual Power *Immense Spiritual Power - Despite having been only the 3rd Seat of the Sixth Squad, Koga possesses an enormous amount of Reiryoku. Ginrei Kuchiki, the Sixth Squad captain at the time, admitted that Koga's sheer power far surpassed his own, and Muramasa himself admitted that Koga's power had not even reached its full potential yet. His Reiatsu is powerful enough to intimidate dozens of unseated Shinigami simply by being exerted, and Koga can effortlessly kill unseated Shinigami without even releasing his Shikai. Occasionally, Koga's Reiatsu will flow along the blade of his Zanpakuto when he fights. He is powerful enough to clash evenly with both Ginrei and Genryusai-Shigekuni Yamamoto, who were the only ones with enough power to confront him at the time. Several centuries after being sealed away, Koga still possesses a huge amount of Reiryoku, and managed to blow Ichigo Kurosaki (who was using his Bankai) and Rukia Kuchiki away simply by exerting his Reiatsu. According to Rukia, his power even surpasses that of Karin Kurosaki's (since she's a Third Seated Officer, despite wielding immense spiritual pressure). Koga is powerful enough to fight evenly against and wound Byakuya Kuchiki, one of the most powerful captains of the current Gotei 13 and the strongest Head of the Kuchiki Clan to ever live, and nearly killed him at one point. Uniquely, because of his power, Koga cannot be killed unless his attacker opens their heart to him; otherwise, he can only be sealed away. His Reiatsu is blue. Like Muramasa, Koga can use his Reiryoku for two unique abilities, which he claims he gave to Muramasa: **Spiritual Threads - By pointing one of his halberds at his opponent, Koga can create spiritual threads and manipulate them to immobilize his opponent. Though these spiritual threads are invisible to the naked eye, they can be seen in the shadows cast on nearby surfaces, and Koga states they work by capturing his opponent's shadow instead of simply their reflection, preventing them from being easily destroyed by a reflection being distorted. However, their hold on an opponent can be nullified if they are cut apart with sufficient force. **Illusions - By sending his Reiryoku into his opponent, Koga can confuse all five of their senses. This allows him to fake oncoming attacks, create clones of himself to avoid attacks, and make himself appear to be further away than he actually is in order to perform surprise attacks at close range. Koga claims these are far more than illusions, which he considers "simplistic", and can infuse weapons with his Reiatsu in order to create illusory clones of them when attacking. However, the effects of this ability on an opponent can be nullified if another being acts as a victim's eyes and limbs, such as a Shinigami's Zanpakuto spirit. Additionally, Koga can only use this ability if his opponent opens their mind to him or lets their guard down. Zanjutsu Prowess *Master Swordsman Specialist - Koga is incredibly proficient in swordsmanship. During his days as the Third Seat of the Sixth Squad, he effortlessly cut down three unseated Shinigami with a single attack, and easily defended himself when several unseated Shinigami all attacked him at once. Koga easily cut down all Shinigami who were sent to kill him, and clashed evenly with Ginrei and Yamamoto, both advanced captain-level combatants, during their short battle, proving his mastery even further. Shunpo Prowess *Shunpo Master - Koga is an extremely fast combatant. During his days as the 3rd Seat of the Sixth Squad, he cut down three unseated Shinigami with a single attack before any of them even noticed. He effortlessly kept up with Byakuya, a Shunpo master, during their battle, and even managed to dodge a point-blank attack from Byakuya at the last possible second on several occasions. Kido Prowess *Kido Expert - Koga possesses great skill in using Kido in battle. During his battle against Byakuya, he used three powerful, unique Kidō spells in rapid succession without incantation and to great effect. Other Skills *Master Halberdier - After severing his bond with Muramasa by shattering the remnants of his sword, Koga resorted to using the halberds used to keep him trapped in his seal, and proved his prowess by fighting evenly against Byakuya, a Zanjutsu master. He can perform powerful two-handed strikes, easily block sword attacks, and use the shape of his halberd to his advantage while wielding them. Zanpakuto Muramasa (Village-Just) - Kōga's Zanpakutō takes the form of a normal katana with a dull red sheath, a purple hilt, and a guard consisting of a circle with a pentagon-like shape in the center and three evenly-spaced points protruding from the edges. Muramasa is an illusion-type Zanpakuto. As Koga descended into insanity, his harmony with Muramasa deteriorated more and more, leading to him losing access to Muramasa's powers. Eventually, Koga shattered the blade with his bare hand, permanently severing his bond with his Zanpakuto. *Shikai - Its' release command is "'''Whipser". Shikai Special Ability - Upon release, Muramasa glows purple and releases a 360-degree wave of purple energy into the surrounding area, causing all Zanpakutō in the area to turn on their wielder. The Zanpakutō will move on their own against their wielder's will, attack their allies, or even turn against their own wielder. Additionally, Koga can temporarily summon Muramasa to attack his foes by releasing his Zanpakuto. The only way to combat its power is by understanding how the Zanpakutō works and sealing one's heart against it. However, in addition to remaining able to fight in this state, one must have incredible Reiryoku and mental fortitude in order to block the attack itself. *'Yukojōchu Muramasa' (Hooked Tapeworm Village-Just): Upon a large explosion of spiritual energy, Muramasa manifests himself into the real world. Muramasa has the ability to manifest in his true form, and can even manifest himself at a distance from his master because he can hear Kōga's call from wherever he is. Muramasa can also manifest his sealed sword form and engage his powers independently of Kōga's command. **Zanpakuto Spirit Manifestation - Muramasa generates a burst of energy that affects the Zanpakuto of all in the vicinity. When this takes place, the Zanpakuto of other wielders glow with a blue light as their Zanpakutō spirits manifest, typically as tangible shadowy figures from weaker Shinigami and with greater individuality and power from stronger Shinigami. Muramasa can break into the inner world of his targets and force their Zanpakutō spirits to bend to his will. This is done by removing the energy stability between Shinigami and Zanpakutō spirit, leaving the spirit confused and allowing Muramasa to forcibly release their negative emotions. Equipment *Halberds - After severing his bond with his Zanpakutō, Kōga uses the four halberds that were once used to stake him down for sealing him, claiming that his skills are not restricted to a single weapon. Kōga can use the hooked inside of the halberd's axe-blade joint to lock an opponent's sword and slash like a sword, while the opposite end has a sharp dagger-like point that he can use as well. Kōga can fire Kidō spells through the tip of his shaft. He picked up the first one to clash with Byakuya until it shattered against Senbonzakura, and used two more as throwing projectiles, imbued with his Reiatsu, to immobilize Byakuya, while wielding the last one as a replacement for the first. The last one eventually shattered when it clashed with Byakuya's Shukei: Hakuteiken. Relationships Family *Ginrei Kuchiki (Father-in-Law) *Byakuya Kuchiki (Nephew) Former Friends/Allies * Enemies * Background in Other Media * Quotes * Trivia * See Also * Category:Characters Category:Villains Category:Males Category:Shinigami Category:Exiled Shinigami Category:Former Shinigami Steated Officers Category:Kuchiki Clan Category:Sixth Squad Category:Gotei 13 Category:Advanced Captain-class Fighters Category:Master Swordsmen Specialists Category:Shunpo Masters Category:Kido Experts Category:Illusion-Type Zanpakuto Users Category:Bleach Series Characters Category:Halberdier Masters